How to use rail station lounges

Where the lounges are

Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounges are at Boston South Station, Chicago Union Station, Los Angeles Union Station, New York Moynihan Train Hall, Philadelphia William H Gray III 30th Street Station, Portland Union Station and Washington Union Station. [1] The page describes quiet seating, complimentary non-alcoholic beverages, snacks and free Wi-Fi, with attendants who can help with reservations, ticketing and local information; it adds that features and amenities may vary by location. [1]

Private Waiting Rooms are separate, unstaffed rooms in New Orleans, St. Louis, St. Paul/Minneapolis and Wilmington. [1] Sleeping car passengers and Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Plus and Select Executive members are welcome at all Private Waiting Room locations, while Business Class passengers may also use the Private Waiting Rooms in St. Louis and St. Paul/Minneapolis. [1]

Opening hours are published per station and vary. [1] Boston is listed as 5:45 am to 9:30 pm daily, Chicago as 8:00 am to 9:30 pm daily, and New York Moynihan as 5:00 am to 10:00 pm Monday to Friday and 7:00 am to 9:00 pm on weekends, with a full-service bar open 11:00 am to 7:00 pm daily. [1]

Who gets in

Amtrak says lounge access is open to travellers with a same-day ticket and one of several qualifying conditions. [1] The first is Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Plus or Select Executive status. [1] The second is an Amtrak Guest Rewards Station Lounge Pass. [1] The third is a First Class or private-room ticket. [1] Business Class passengers may use the Metropolitan Lounge in Portland and the Private Waiting Rooms in St. Paul/Minneapolis and St. Louis. [1] Private car owners or lessees and their party may use a lounge between the arrival and departure times specified in the reservation, and must provide the reservation number to the Amtrak representative on entry. [1] Due to space restrictions, private car owners and their groups are not permitted in the Los Angeles Union Station Metropolitan Lounge. [1]

First Class access applies only to guests travelling on an Amtrak route or service that offers First Class, Acela or Private Room accommodation, and the guest must hold a valid same-day ticket for that class. [1] One child under 12 may accompany a ticketed adult; any additional travellers in other classes must have their own eligible ticket or buy a Single Visit Pass if one is available. [1]

Select Plus and Select Executive members must hold a same-day Amtrak ticket, and Amtrak may require a government-issued photo ID matching both the member and the ticket holder. [1] Such members may enter with immediate family members, meaning a spouse or domestic partner and children, or with one non-familial guest, and every guest must also be ticketed for same-day Amtrak service. [1] The member must accompany the family and guests, membership is non-transferable, and members who bring more guests than allowed are charged the current cost of a Single Visit Pass for the extras. [1]

Holders of the Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard receive one lounge pass when the account is opened and one annually on the card-opening anniversary. [1] Photo ID may be required and must match both the cardholder and the ticket holder. [1] Cardholders using those passes may bring immediate family members or one non-familial guest, all of whom must be ticketed for same-day Amtrak service, and extra guests are charged the current Single Visit Pass cost. [1]

Passes, guests and timing

A Single Visit Pass is valid at the lounge location where it was purchased and requires a same-day ticket for Amtrak service. [1] Purchased access is subject to availability at Amtrak’s sole discretion. [1] One child under 12 may accompany a pass holder, but no other guests are permitted, and each additional guest must buy a pass if one is available. [1] Passes cost $35 at Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland and Washington, and $50 at New York Moynihan; travellers should speak with a uniformed employee at those stations, and Amtrak Guest Rewards members can redeem 1,500 points for a pass. [1]

For Metropolitan Lounges, access may occur only during the three hours immediately prior to the scheduled departure time. [1] For First Class and Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Executive and Select Plus guests, that time limit does not apply between two connecting trains on the same itinerary, and those guests may also access the lounge upon arrival at their destination station. [1] Guests on delayed trains may extend their visit past three hours until the actual departure time. [1]

Individuals must be 18 or older to enter a Metropolitan Lounge unless accompanied by a supervising adult who is 18 or older. [1] Pets are not allowed in any Amtrak station lounge or First Class waiting area. [1] Amtrak’s lounge rules also prohibit sharing an eligible travel document with a guest not named on the reservation and purchasing an eligible ticket and then cancelling it before travel to gain access. [1]

Exceptions and limits

• Location and amenity limits. Features and amenities may vary by location, and purchased Single Visit Pass access is subject to availability at Amtrak’s sole discretion. [1]
• Business Class is not universal. Business Class passengers may use the Metropolitan Lounge in Portland and the Private Waiting Rooms in St. Paul/Minneapolis and St. Louis, but the page does not list Business Class access to the other Metropolitan Lounges. [1]
• First Class is route-specific. First Class lounge access applies to Amtrak routes or services that offer First Class, Acela or Private Room accommodation, so a First Class ticket is not a general key to every Amtrak lounge. [1]
• Private car exception. Private car owners and their groups are excluded from the Los Angeles Union Station Metropolitan Lounge because of space restrictions. [1]
• Guest limits. A Single Visit Pass covers one child under 12 and no other guests; extra guests at status or card entry are charged the current Single Visit Pass cost. [1]
• Enforcement. Amtrak may refuse access or bar future access for people who share an eligible travel document or buy and cancel a ticket to gain entry, and it may remove guests for rule violations or other conduct it deems inappropriate. [1]

Related pages

For a focused walkthrough of Amtrak access, see Amtrak lounge access. For the wider loyalty context, see rail loyalty programmes. For rail travel basics, see rail, and for definitions and terms, see the glossary. European examples are covered separately in the Club Eurostar guide and the SNCF Grand Voyageur guide.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Only Amtrak’s station-lounge page is used; European rail station lounges, including Club Eurostar and SNCF Grand Voyageur, are not published in the sources checked, and other US rail operators are not covered. Airport lounge rules are not part of the source checked.

1. Amtrak station lounges, checked 18 October 2026